The most important person in my life is my father, Gene Giordano. To me, he is the hardest working man I know and the strongest example of what it means to never give up. Throughout my life, he has been there for me through thick and thin, always putting his family first no matter how hard things became. His actions have taught me powerful lessons about effort, loyalty, and resilience. My father worked on our family business for over twenty years. He poured his time, energy, and heart into making it succeed. Many people do not understand how much pressure comes with running a business, especially when your family depends on it. My dad carried that weight every day without complaining. He worked long hours, sacrificed time for himself, and pushed through stress so that our family could have stability. Even when things were difficult, he showed up and did the work because that was his responsibility. Eventually, despite all his effort, the business failed. This was one of the hardest moments in our family’s life. Watching something you spent two decades building fall apart is not easy, and it would have been understandable if my father gave up. But that is not who he is. Instead of letting failure define him, he used it as motivation to keep moving forward. He did not allow disappointment to stop him from working or dreaming about what comes next. What inspires me most is that my father never let setbacks change his character. He continues to work hard every single day, focusing on future opportunities and doing whatever it takes to support our family. He reminds me that failure does not mean the end—it simply means a new beginning. His determination shows me that success is not about never failing, but about continuing to try no matter how many times you fall. Beyond his work ethic, my father has always been emotionally present in my life. He supports me in my goals, listens when I need advice, and stands by me during difficult times. Knowing that he believes in me gives me confidence and strength. His guidance has shaped who I am and who I want to become. In my eyes, my father is a role model. He has shown me the value of hard work, perseverance, and staying strong in the face of adversity. No matter what the future holds, I know he will keep pushing forward. Because of him, I have learned that true success is not measured by money or titles, but by character, effort, and never giving up on what matters most.

When my legs were sore, my phone was full of missed assignments, and I felt like I was letting everyone down at the same time. Track had always been my outlet, the one place where effort directly turned into results, but suddenly it felt like everything outside the track was slipping. For a long time, I tried to rely on talent and routine instead of discipline. I showed up to practice, ran hard, and trusted that things would work out the same way they always had. But as the pressure from school increased and expectations from my family and friends grew, that approach stopped working. I was exhausted, stressed, and frustrated with myself. I did not want to be the athlete who trained hard but fell short in the rest of life. I wanted balance. I wanted growth. Most of all, I wanted to be proud of who I was becoming, not just how fast I could run. Track forced me to confront that truth. You cannot fake preparation in the 800. If you cut corners, the race exposes you. That lesson started to carry over into my life. I began changing how I approached my days, not just my workouts. I created a routine that matched my goals, planning my schoolwork around training instead of reacting at the last minute. I started holding myself to the same standard in the classroom that I held myself to on the track. When I was tired or overwhelmed, I reminded myself that discomfort is temporary, but quitting lasts. My family and friends played a huge role in this change. There were days when I was mentally drained, questioning if all the effort was worth it. Having people who believed in me, even when I doubted myself, kept me going. At the same time, I learned to lean on them instead of trying to handle everything alone. That shift taught me strength does not mean isolation. It means trust. This scholarship would help take a major weight off my shoulders. Balancing training, school, and financial stress can feel like running a race with no finish line. This support would allow me to focus fully on my education and athletic goals without constantly worrying about money. It would give me the space to keep pushing forward, knowing my hard work is being recognized. More importantly, I plan to pay that support forward. Track has taught me the value of mentorship, and I want to be that person for younger athletes and teammates who are struggling to find their footing. Whether it is helping them manage school, encouraging them after a bad race, or reminding them that setbacks do not define them, I want to give back what was given to me. Growth is never a solo journey. I want to make a change in my life because I know what I am capable of when I commit fully. Track taught me how to fight through pain, family and friends taught me why it matters, and this scholarship would help me continue building a future where effort, discipline, and purpose all run in the same direction.

I'm a senior at one high school in Philly and take huge pride in being an active student who commits equally to sport. I am a middle-distance runner in track, and the sport makes me who I am. It has taught me discipline, resilience, and how to persevere when things get uncomfortable. Balancing early morning practices, long workouts, and academic responsibilities has helped me develop strong time-management skills and a mindset built around consistency and effort. I come from a blue-collar family where hard work was modeled every day. Watching my family put in long hours to provide for one another taught me the value of earning what you have and never taking opportunities for granted. That upbringing carries into everything I do, whether it's training for a race, preparing for exams, or helping someone in need. I try to treat everyone with kindness and respect because character matters just as much as achievement. In my personal life, I am very interested in academics as well as finances. I enjoy studying how finances, the markets, and planning can lead to a sound future, especially for families who work for everything they acquire. In school, I push myself to excel while still maintaining my goals. Being a student-athlete has revealed to me how success depends upon preparation, accountability, and an everyday pursuit to always improve. Community engagement is also a significant aspect for me. Community engagement, whether through school or team volunteering, has shown me how valuable being a presence for a cause can be. Whether at events, helping younger teammates, or pitching in when possible, being a presence and making a contribution positively matters, I believe. When a leader makes an impact, this, to me, happens when they positively engage with others’ help. After high school, I hope to attend college and study either finance and/or business. I also hope to continue to compete. My hope for my future is to have the ability to take care of myself and my family while giving back to my community. I would like to begin a charitable project of my own, focusing on student-athletes from working-class families who may not have access to resources, mentorship, or advice. This charitable project will aim to provide academic tutoring, educational instruction in financial literacy, as well as mentorship from professional athletes. These services will primarily target high school students. There will be tutoring, scholarship and college advice, budgeting, as well as mentorship. I think that every student needs someone who believes in them and who is there to help them realize their potential through everything that they do throughout their everyday life. However, it is through hard work and dedication that I attempt to do so.

A cold morning on the streets of South Philly. It was 19 degrees and I was lifting boxes and pushing out carts of produce out to the stands with numb hands as the day just begun. Something happened this morning out of the ordinary though. I saw a homeless person walking down the street with a T-Shirt and Shorts on and he was clearly suffering. I thought about myself in his shoes so I gave him my Chipotle lunch and any extra blankets/warm clothes I saw laying around. People around me told me I was dumb for what I did because they thought that he’s just going to keep coming back and take up space,but at the end of the day I knew I did the right thing and to this day i’ve never seen that man again and i’m forever glad for what I did on that cold South Philly morning in front of my family business. Later that day I almost got hit by a guy going full speed on a bike l. We had ended up not hitting each other, but we both fell to the ground. In typical Philadelphia fashion I expected to be scolded by this man for being in the wrong. To my surprise he was a very nice man and the first thing he did was get up and ask me if I was okay. I then replied yes thank you and went about my day, but as he was about too pedal away he felt so bad that he wanted to buy me lunch and I happily agreed. As we were walking to this taco place and talked to me and got to know me and I realized how nice of a person I had almost crashed into. I am forever grateful for this experience and I still talk about it to friends and family till this day and it has stuck with me forever. This experience has taught me that kindness goes a long way and it’s important to care for the people around you and help them even if you don’t know them. I always found it amazing that these two events happened on the same day and I always say that it plays a big role in my faith in God and that he is always with me no matter what. I always remember good things can always come back to you.